Revisiting old books

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With several bookshelves full to capacity, it makes sense as we start the winter months to spend some time revisiting old books. When I mention old books, yes – some are very old and were printed in the 1800’s, others are from the 20th century and just a few are from this century. There is an eclectic mixture of classics, novels, poetry, self help and spiritual books interspersed with textbooks that cover Asian history and religions, homeopathy and teaching texts. Just a few remain unread, waiting for the right time to deliver the information within.

Revisiting old books today, I was looking for some inspiration for a workshop and I rediscovered M.Scott Peck’s  The Road Less Traveled.  I often open a book to a random spot and find inspiration from that page.

So, for today’s inspiration (which would have been useful for a workshop), I discovered the following quote:

“By far the most common and important way in which we exercise our attention is by listening. We spend an enormous amount of time listening  most of which we waste, because on the whole most of us listen very poorly. “

Gratitude Group

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A few weeks back, I started up a Gratitude Group on Facebook and you are welcome to join and contribute to it. The more the merrier as the saying goes.

It is growing organically and it is interesting reading what others are grateful for in their lives.

Research shows that having a daily gratitude practice helps to strengthen our immune systems and reduce heart related issues. A quick Google search will give you lots of articles to read – some more scholarly than others. I liked this one – The Neuroscience of Gratitude as it was an easy read plus the opportunity to sign up for a few exercises to help navigate through grief.

Having a Gratitude Journal helps you to record on a daily basis the little things that you are grateful for. You may have joined the previous 30 Days of Gratitude challenge way back in 2019 and developed your own gratitude practice.

I often write about gratitude and you may wonder why. I’ll let you into a little secret…. having this daily practice not only has benefits for you, but it’s free and the rewards are great! If you are having difficulty in getting started, join the Gratitude Group – that’s free as well. I look forward to seeing you there!

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Three Steps to Successful Visualization

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The three steps to successful visualization are: a goal, belief in the power of visualization and acceptance.

  • Firstly, creating a goal that is something that we want in our life (not something we think we or others should have) and being crystal clear about what that would look, hear, feel like, will help with a successful visualization.
  • Secondly, when we believe or have faith that the visualization process works, we are more likely to have a positive outcome.
  • And thirdly, we must be ready to accept what we have intended to manifest, having made sure our subconscious mind has removed any blocks to this happening.

How you create your goal is often a very personal choice and may depend on what learning style you gravitate towards.

vision boardCreating a successful visualization needs to take time and some effort. Of course the goal needs to be reviewed to ensure that it is achievable, although if you want to stretch your beliefs, you can move into the realm of manifestation. So how to best approach it all?

Some people find that creating a vision board using pictures and words from magazines an effective way to visualize a goal. Frequent viewing will help imprint your subconscious mind with what you want to achieve.

Others may like to mind map and create a web of ideas that show the goal as the central target and the steps required to get there.

Perhaps you are more comfortable with a more linear approach and draw/create a spreadsheet of sorts with columns that allow you to compartmentalize the goal, the steps or action to take and the resources that you have or would need to achieve the goal.

There is something in common with all of these methods. It is the physical representation of bringing out your thoughts and expressing them. The end result can remain as private or public as you want it to be.

In Art Therapy there is yet another way and that is to create a scene map. Sketching a scene that depicts the outcome of your intended goal. Using language to describe it as if it has already happened. I used this technique to express my desire to get a dog and just 6 days later there was a dog ready for adoption. You can read more about that HERE

 

Intuition

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What exactly is intuition? A question I had to answer when doing my Art Therapy studies last year…. my answer was as follows….

intuitionBy paying attention to our intuition – or “gut feelings” we are able to bypass conscious thought or “rational thinking” and trust in the information that we receive.

It is said that intuition is the language of the spirit and when we listen carefully to it, it opens up our further spiritual development.

There was a moment when I didn’t pay attention to my intuition and deferred to the opinion of a respected professional. You may find a post about that some 8 or 9 years back. The result was that the Universe conspired to give me a lengthy period of “time out” where all  I was able to do was to sit and observe for a couple of months. This allowed me to open up to spiritual development as the most strenuous activity I could do was to read books and reflect. I can certainly recommend listening to your intuition first.

 

Art and Spirituality

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There has been a long relationship between art and spirituality. Early civilizations used art to make sense of events around them. It was also a way to record the culture of the time. Over time, the various civilizations and their spiritual life evolved.  Art became the means of expressing  their spiritual, philosophical and cultural concepts.

A Balanced LifeThe action of creating the artwork was and still is a deeply rewarding endeavour. When an artist connects with their inner self they  are able to bring forward insights and themes in the images for others to appreciate and to reflect upon.

Furthermore, the action of creating the artwork is a meditative and often spiritual experience can lead to an inner understanding of self.

Meditation

By using meditation as a precursor to an art therapy session, the conscious mind is stilled and in this stillness, there is the opportunity to access the subconscious mind with less resistance.

A short, relaxation meditation provides a safe and supported place for you to enter into a quiet space.  Whilst in this space, you can create or produce images that come from your subconscious mind. So too, the process can lead to creative problem solving.

A Blank Mandala to download and enjoy.

Creative Flow

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So what is creative flow? Creative flow can best be described as a relaxed state of mind that has been brought about by focusing on creating an image or piece of art work.Creating or colouring in mandalas are an ideal way to achieve this.

Benefits other than creative flow are:creative flow

  • distraction
  • detachment
  • self reflection

By engaging our senses – visual and kinaesthetic – we are able to enter into a meditative state.  The action of colouring in, as well as engaging the mind in selection of the colours, helps us to distract the conscious mind. In turn, this allows the subconscious mind to create images that may represent previously forgotten conflicts or traumas. These can then be interpreted by having a discussion about what meaning the image has to you.

During the course of a therapy program, you may well discover that as you experience this creative flow, you also become more aware of strategies that help you to reduce your stress. With stress reduced, you will enjoy more self awareness and able to better focus on daily tasks.

Changing times

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In these changing times we may be experiencing a multitude of emotions. Some will be quite unfamiliar to us as we adjust to a new way of doing things. Grief is a common emotion that is being experienced.  There may be many circumstances surrounding bereavement such as loss of income or loss of support or friendships.  If it is a sudden event, shock may be experienced. All of these factors demonstrate a need for the bereaved to be supported as they work through their feelings. The process of grief cannot be hurried. Everyone has their own time frame as to when they will have moved through the various stages of grief.

Maslow's HierarchyIn addition, there may be unresolved issues that the grieving person has to work through during this process.

When their needs have not been met (as per Maslow’s Hierarchy) then the time taken to process the grief will take longer.

At the base of the pyramid is the first of five needs that humans seek.

However the needs must be satisfied from the base up and cannot stand in isolation.

The first need that we must have fulfilled is the physiological need for food, water, warmth, rest and shelter met before the other four needs can be satisfied.

The second need is to feel safe and secure and that can include both physical safety and the security of being able to earn an income. Once these needs are met, then we can begin to experience a sense of connection that the third need will give us when we form friendships and relationships. It is sad that these changing times have created a world where opinions have been polarized and friendships fractured.

The fourth need is where we feel good about our achievements, accomplishments or status and the final fifth need of self actualization, is where we can fully express ourselves, often creatively when we have achieved our full potential.

 

 

 

Why is Gratitude important?

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GratitudeGratitude is where you acknowledge the positive things that are in your life and that you appreciate on a regular basis. Why is gratitude important? By acknowledging the things we are grateful for, we are not focusing on anything that we may perceive as lacking in our lives.

Gratitude focuses the mind on the “now” and is a form of mindfulness, especially when we write down on or journal on a daily basis.

As we focus on the positive, endorphins are released and we feel better. A positive mindset is important to wellbeing and especially in today’s pandemic, helpful in maintaining wellness and a more balanced emotional state.

30 days of gratitudeHaving a daily practice that helps you to focus on things that you are grateful for will help you to form a new and more helpful mindset.

In the past I have run a couple of 30 Days of Gratitude, both here and on Facebook. It may be a little difficult to find the posts now as the last 30 day challenge was in 2020.  A little time consuming, but another way to jog the mind to think about what you are grateful for is to write a single sentence in you diary each day about what you were grateful that day. You can go out and buy an expensive journal with the prompts already printed or make your own.

 

Love what you do

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love what you doWhen you love what you do and are engaged in the activity, hormones such as Dopamine, Serotonin and Oxytocin (happy hormones) are released and stress is reduced.

As stress is reduced, wellbeing is increased. When you love what you do, you may discover or rediscover something that  you yearned to do as a child but put aside due to societal or cultural expectations.

What dreams did you put aside?

Pursuing what you love to do will bring you  a great sense of satisfaction and completion. The joy in creating has immense benefits. It could be cooking, woodwork, pottery or another craft.  Not only crafts but writing or art can bring great joy to both creator and observer.  Have you noticed that when someone is engaged in their passion, their inner energy is apparent and they radiate that out to those around them?

If you need help in rediscovering your dreams let’s have a chat.

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Coping Strategies

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Coping strategies as we begin to return to more social contact and are vital in mental health recovery. Effective coping strategies empower you when you take note of and recognize what may trigger you in a crisis situation.  When you have access to these strategies, it will give you a sense of control over some part of your life that otherwise may seem out of control. Managing stress

For example, recognizing that stress is inevitable for everyone at some stage can help to normalize stressful situations. Furthermore, being aware of your response to stress and using more helpful options to manage that stress can help you move towards recovery. Good coping strategies lead to good Emotional Intelligence. Once you are aware of what stressors are most likely to trigger you, then you can start to work on your emotional response in an emotionally intelligent way.

In the workshops and sessions that I facilitate, clients are offered a variety of simple, yet effective strategies to help them cope with the ever changing landscape that we encounter as we navigate to our “new normal”.

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